


The Queen Dragon

by Steangine



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bottom Dante (Devil May Cry), Chonky Clumsy Dragons, Demons, Dragons, Incest, M/M, Medieval Fantasy, Sex, Threesome, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:54:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28985928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steangine/pseuds/Steangine
Summary: The merchant had his head hidden behind countless empty tankards. He was sleeping.“Is he the one?” Nero had to raise his voice for Vergil to hear him over the music in the tavern.Vergil nodded. “Red coat, white hair. He is the only one who matches the description.”Vergil and Nero are demons and they need a merchant to find a dragon. But dragons are supposed to be extinct.[Bottom!Dante, threesome, Vergil/Dante/Nero]
Relationships: Dante/Nero/Vergil (Devil May Cry), Vergil/Dante/Nero (Devil May Cry)
Comments: 41
Kudos: 103





	1. The Merchant

**Author's Note:**

> After a long time, I managed to complete this Queen Dragon AU. Updates on Monday.

The merchant had his head hidden behind countless empty tankards. He was sleeping.

“Is he the one?” Nero had to raise his voice for Vergil to hear him over the music in the tavern.

Vergil nodded. “Red coat, white hair. He is the only one who matches the description.”

Nero read on his father’s face the same doubts that pounded his head. He remembered the merchant quite well due to the incident they witnessed that afternoon. He apparently tried to trick a wealthy man, but his plan backfired due to his scarce skills and poor mental planning; he ended up with his stall trashed and his stomach used as a stress relief for the lord’s men.

“Does he even have money to pay for all this?”

“It’s not our problem, Nero.” Vergil’s voice became a bit more severe, scolding him for paying attention to such insignificant details. Then, he turned his head to the merchant. “You, wake up.”

The voice of the first commander of the demon army was a whip that could keep on a leash even the most ruthless hot-head knight – that would be Vergil’s son, Nero, who was also his right-hand man. But, apparently, the merchant was too deep in the slumber to even flinch under the gush of demonic energy Vergil aimed at him to restore his senses.

“He’s too drunk.” Nero sighed. “Hey, old man. Wake up, would you?” He shook his left shoulder.

The physical approach worked better than the devious attack to his subconscious. The merchant emitted a loud grunt and turned his head around. He lazily opened one single eye and couldn’t immediately detect who was talking to him. Nero stared back at a watery blurred eye. The blue of the iris was so clear it seemed like it could turn white at any moment.

“Shop’s closed.” The merchant slurred. “Come back tomorrow morning.” He turned his head to the other side.

“Are you Dante?” Nero talked before Vergil could snap in irritation at such a disrespectful behavior. They were in incognito and weren’t wearing any emblem to better mingle with humans, but even the lowly humans had a basic set of manners to display with strangers. Apparently, Dante hadn’t been supplied with that at his birth.

“It depends on who’s asking.” Dante raised his head. He propped himself on the arms and gave a little push to the table to land his back against the backseat of the wooden bench. “Hey!” Despite he looked sluggish, his voice was clear enough to stop the waitress who was running to the counter. “Another beer.”

“Sure.” The waitress replied distractedly.

Vergil and Nero sat in front of him. They covered the view of the musician who was plunking the lute from Dante, so he was forced to concentrate on them.

“Alright.” Dante massaged his head. “You two look like the kind of people who won’t leave me alone that easily, and I don’t want to spend the next days avoiding you. What do you want?”

“Information.” Vergil didn’t beat the bush around. “You saw the nest of a dragon.”

Dante groaned. “I thought they stopped spreading this joke. Do you have any idea of how many people mock me because of that?” He chuckled. “Dragons don’t exist.”

Instead of insisting with empty words, Vergil threw a little leather sack swollen with money. “If you bring us there. Another one when we’ll get there.”

Dante looked a bit more awake at the sight of the sack. “And a third one if the dragon actually exists?”

Nero huffed, but the loud music covered his reaction; of course, money opens all doors, and that greedy merchant was no exception. Dante weighed the sack on his hand and peeked inside before putting it back closed on the table.

“Let’s say I’ve been lying and there’s no nest, so when we get the–”

“You are a dead man.”

“Honest.”

Vergil observed him carefully. Dante crossed his arms without taking his eyes off the sack; he was considering the pros and cons of lying.

“Many are still calling me a liar because they have never seen anything in the Barrens but shrubs. Why would you two be different?”

“Because we do believe there is a dragon out there.”

“The Dragon Hunters exterminated them years before we were even conceived. Now they just exist to parade during royal festivals.”

Vergil resisted the temptation of a smirk. That merchant had no idea that even Nero was older than him. “Why are you denying dragons exist? It makes me think you truly are a liar.”

“Listen, I brought the knights there. They looked for day in any crease and under the tiniest rock. Then, they told me to stop drinking.”

“So, you don’t believe what you saw.”

“Oh, I do believe my eyes. And I also do believe that dragon was a smartass for making me look like an idiot and disappear without a trace. But, yeah, I wouldn’t want to be killed as well.”

Vergil tilted his head a little and looked at the only empty plate on the table. “I know for sure from other sources that there is at least one dragon alive. You are the only living being I can communicate with properly who saw a dragon. And I don’t think you are lying.”

“Wow, thank you. All my problems have vanished now.” Dante’s eyes fell again on the money. “Who would have ever thought I would go back _there_ … alright.” He grabbed the little sack. “Tomorrow morning at dawn in front of the inn. You pay for the expenses along the way.”

“But we make the final decision on where to stay and what we need to buy.” Vergil didn’t accept any negotiation.

“Yeah, it makes sense.”

Nero expected the merchant to stand up and make use of his money. Instead, Dante hid the sack into his clothes and put his head back on his arms, going back to his nap. He raised his head when the waitress brought his beer, as if he could sense the smell of alcohol.

“Let’s go, Nero.”

Vergil made him sign to leave.

“Ah, wait.” Nero glanced back one last time before exiting the uproar of the tavern. “Father, what if someone kills him for the money? Shouldn’t we make sure he is alive until tomorrow morning?”

“We’ll make turns.” Vergil didn’t sound happy at the perspective of babysitting a drunkard merchant. “Humans are bothersome. They live as if they are immortal.”

“Grandfather says that they live carelessly because their lives are short.”

“Wasting a life only because it’s short doesn’t sound like a clever intent. I must check something; you begin the surveillance.”

“Check what?” Nero was sure they did everything they planned before getting in touch with the merchant.

“I’m not so sure myself. Just a hunch.”

His father usually had intuitions or ideas he never shared unless he was completely sure they were the truth. Nero didn’t like that, but no matter how many times he told Vergil, he never changed his behavior.

“Are you going to tell me?”

“No. You still can’t hide your emotions.”

Nero frowned. “Can we trust that liquor-addicted merchant?”

“I don’t know yet. But I’m positive he knows where the nest is. The only variable is if he is going to take us there or not. He might chicken out at some point.”

“In case, we just have to kill him then, right?” Nero glanced inside the tavern and sighed. “I hate this place.” However, he went back in: they had to protect their navigator.

***

Dante spent the whole night sleeping at the table in the tavern. Sometimes he startled awake because of some loud noise –crashed glass or flying fists– and ordered a drink and some food to replenish his stomach; then he slid back into the slumber and repeated the circle. But, at dawn, he was fully awake, cleaned and seemingly ready to ride the entire day.

What saved Nero from feeling his bones all broken and cracking was his demonic heritage. He couldn’t explain how that man looked refreshed after resting on a bench for an entire night.

“You are late.” Vergil scolded Dante from the height of his horse. Dante was walking his with the reins. “You are the one who said at dawn.”

“It’s still dawn.” The sun was starting to timidly show the first slice of his complete round shape. “I had to settle some debts, unless you wanted to deal with pursuers.”

Nor Vergil nor Nero were surprised Dante had debts. He didn’t look like he knew how to do his job; he was the classic man who lived by the day waiting for his luck to run out and meet with death. They would make sure to have him stay alive until he fulfilled his part of the contract.

“Enough with the chatter. Mount the horse.”

“Alright, alright.” The perspective of more money was enough for Dante to not get pissed at such a commanding tone. “We won’t get to another town before two days.” He warned them. “We’ll have to camp outside.”

“No problem.” Nero replied. “Just to make sure, how many days to the nest?”

“Three weeks from here. Maybe even more. The duchy I used to pass through has been dealing with an illness and the borders were closed last time I was there. I’m afraid we’ll take the panoramic route.”

“We have time.” Vergil didn’t mind if they had to ride for one or two months. “Let us leave now.”

The first hours passed in silence. They took the paved road out of the citadel and ventured into the green hills beyond the cultivated fields. The more they got far, the thicker the trees became, until the citadel became a small spot on the horizon before disappearing behind them.

“We should stop for lunch.” Dante suggested. “There are lots of harmless hunting in this area. Mostly rabbits and deer.”

“Can you hunt?” Nero sounded perplexed. “I thought that bow was for scene.”

“Nah, it’s for meals. Unfortunately, I can’t survive solely drinking water. Not yet”

“Yet?”

Dante didn’t reply. “Let’s settle in this clearing. Oh, if that’s okay for you.” He glanced at Vergil.

“That’s fine.”

That short-term collaboration was bound to bring Vergil more headaches than he prevented to. However, his main goal was important enough for him to put up with someone whose behavior didn’t match with his standards.

“Rock, paper, scissors?” Dante raised his fist in the air but received perplexed looks. “You know, to decide who’s gonna set the fire and who’s gonna hunt the dinner... I guess you come from far away, don’t you?”

Vergil ignored the question. “Nero will hunt, I will keep an eye on you.”

Dante shrugged. “Fine. I really needed a daddy.”

“I clearly remember we agreed you are only in charge of the navigation.”

“Yeah, I do too. No rock, paper, scissors nor sense of humor from where you come, huh?”

Dante got off his horse and guided him far enough from the spot he believed would be the best to set the fire. Without minding Vergil and Nero talking between themselves, he caressed the dusky mane of his horse and whispered nice words. “I still have some herbs you like. Are you happy, little girl?” The horse shook her head. “Of course, you are, Rebellion. You would eat all day long if I didn’t take care of you.”

Rebellion lowered her head to rustle her snout into Dante’s pouch hanging from his belt. He chuckled and picked into his hand some herbs. “Here, eat it.” The horse licked them from his palm. “I’ll look for some more if the daddy will let me.”

“Hey, Dante.” Nero called him. “Would you mind taking care of our horses too?”

Dante took the reins tended to him. “Sure. What are their names?”

“Mine’s Blue Rose. My father’s is Beowulf.”

“Blue Rose? Are you a miss?”

“No. He once ate all the blue flowers in the garden, hence the name.”

Dante laughed. “I hope he isn’t a picky eater.”

“Not really.”

Blue Rose sniffed Dante’s pouch.

“Do you want some too? I’ll give you both.”

Nero was about to warn Dante that Beowulf took after his father for relationship skills and had the bad habit of biting people he didn’t know well. But he emitted a weird confused sound when the horse gently nudged Dante’s hand and ate the treat without giving any harm. Beowulf also let Dante caress his snout.

“What’s wrong?” Dante raised an eyebrow when he couldn’t pretend anymore he didn’t notice Nero’s stare.

“…nothing.”

They ate something from the provisions. Vergil didn’t talk much during lunch, only Nero seemed to be in the right mood to ask some questions about their destination and how Dante found it. _By sheer_ luck was enough of an answer for the young man.

“I saw this dragon getting inside a cave. It was hurt. Of course, everyone goes through the Barrens and nobody has ever seen anything but dust. After the knights inspected the area and found absolutely nothing, I became the laughing stock among the merchants.” Dante wrinkled his nose. “I was pretty lucky, to be honest. I don’t want to be anyone’s meal.”

“You are lucky quite often. You could die yesterday.” Nero looked back at Dante’s frown. “At the market, those men.”

“Hey, do you mean you saw them punching me and did nothing?”

“We aren’t heroes.” Vergil pointed out, speaking for the first time since when they started eating. “We can’t meddle with everyone else’s problems.”

“Fair enough. Good life choice.”

That answer fit Dante, Vergil thought.

Dante immediately knew that something was off when Vergil talked to him the moment Nero left to hunt. He followed Dante to the horses.

“You ride well.” Vergil commented.

“And you haven’t seen me in bed.”

Vergil ignored his awful joke. “I meant well for someone who was used as a punching bag.”

“High pain resistance.”

Of course, Vergil was the kind of man who didn’t believe so easily someone else’s words. The previous evening, he checked that the brawl was real and not only a play staged by a group of swindlers whose aim was to use that rumor to fool people like him and Nero, who believed there was a dragon to find. The answers he received, that the fists in that stomach were true, didn’t satisfy Vergil.

Dante blocked Vergil’s wrist before it could reach his shirt, but his resistance was easily crushed; pinned against the tree, he had a hand around his throat and Vergil’s warm breath on his lips. He was taller than Dante. Vergil pulled the shirt out from his trousers and looked in surprise at the purple bruises dirtying the pale abdomen. He moved away from Dante.

“High pain resistance.” Dante repeated, unfazed by Vergil’s reaction. “I wouldn’t trust someone like me either, but it seems you may be mistaken too.”

“It seems so.” Vergil took a small vial filled with a yellow paste and threw it at him. “It helps with the pain. It’s a pomade, and it’s not meant to be eaten.”

“You made it sound like someone ate it before.”

However, Vergil didn’t satisfy Dante’s curiosity with some anecdote about some person he knew. They didn’t talk again until Nero came back with a remarkable loot.

Dante hung the rabbits from their feet.

“Do you know how to prepare them?” Vergil wasn’t keeping his eyes off him: Dante had a dagger in his hand.

“Yup.”

“How much time?”

“All the blood must be drained. Then it’s not a big deal.” He could feel Vergil’s eyes on him. “Not more than two hours. But we’ll have some spare food in case of necessity.”

“I thought the next town wasn’t that far.” Nero frowned. “Did you lie?”

“I didn’t. But lately tensions among the fiefs have been rising. I don’t want to be accused of stealing the game from some petty lord who thinks he owns all the goddamn nature he can lay his eyes on, nor I want to visit some prisons again because they see me catching a deer and think I’m a spy. But hey–” Dante swung the dagger in the air to point at the carcasses. “–I can keep these for myself and you’ll buy your own food.”

“I hunted them!” Nero complained.

“And I’m very grateful for that.”

Vergil considered Dante’s words and matched them with what he knew about those lands. “Take the time you need. But make sure they won’t rot.”

“Yessir.”

***

Two days later, Vergil felt his desire of getting rid of dirt and dust with a comforting warm bath shattering like glass. There were guards at the entrance of the citadel, and no one was allowed to get in without a pass. Of course, they didn’t have a pass.

“That’s new.” It was the first time that Dante’s voice was without any jesting note. “Since when?”

“It’s an order from the lord.”

“I’m a merchant, you know me, and the lord too knows me. I’ve been here countless times.”

“What a merchant!” The guard laughed. “Without a pass, you can piss off, Dante. Out of my way! One of us is working here, and, guess what, that’s not you.”

Dante had no means to pass through them. He shook his head at Vergil. They came back to Nero, who was looking after the horses.

“We can’t go in.” He guessed from his faces. “What now? Should we sneak in?”

“Magic barriers.” Dante rejected the idea. “I know an old lady who lived in the fields around here. She moved, but her hut should still be there. Better than sleeping under the stars again.”

“Better than nothing.” Vergil agreed unwillingly.

They rode back on the bridge connecting the citadel to the mainland and remained on the main road for a few minutes before diving into the fields. There was a small village, just a handful of houses, but they didn’t stop there and went further in the wild nature.

“Are we reaching the next town?” Vergil asked as the citadel became a vague figure in the distance and they entered the woods.

“Nah, we’re almost there.”

Nero was sure he heard the sound of a creek, and the splash of his horse’s hooves confirmed his guess. “Is it nearby a water source?”

“Yep. She built it nearby… well, she calls it puddle, but it’s drinkable water.”

The hut was submerged in the dim lights of dusk. Time, weather and wild animals didn’t spare it, but it looked sturdy enough to pass a safe night in. The door was open. Dante entered first.

“Oh nice. The fireplace is still in one piece.”

Vergil opened all the windows. He did his best to suppress the need of coughing because of the stuffy smell impregnating the wood. The fireplace was small and of course a single night would never be enough to get rid of that scent and the humidity, but at least it would irradiate a comfortable circle of heat where all of them could sleep peacefully.

“Where’s this puddle?” Nero seemed more intrigued at the idea of facing the adversity one would expect from an adventure.

Dante guided them to the backyard. There was indeed a puddle of water surrounded by stones, but it was clear and emitted a delicate gurgle.

“It’s cold.” He broke whatever fantasy Vergil and Nero might have on a warm bath. “But it’s not that bad, honestly.”

“We have a close space to sleep in.” Vergil settled the matter. “Let’s gather some wood to light on the fire, then we’ll take turns at bathing.”

“I need some herbs for the dinner. Hey, Nero.” Before Vergil could tell Nero to follow him, as he did the past two days, Dante kept talking. “Come with me, so you’ll make sure I won’t escape.”

Nero quickly covered his chuckle with a cough. “Sure.”

The cozy light and warmth of the fire gave the gloomy hut a comfortable appearance. Especially after washing the dust into the clean but cold water of the puddle. Vergil and Nero were in front of the fireplace, watching over their dinner and warming their cold bones. The smell of the meat soup slowly simmering in the struck their stomachs so hard, they were tempted to taste it before it was ready.

“I’m hungry.”

“Endure it.” Vergil walked to the little window.

Nero looked up. “Is he still there?”

“He is.”

“Do you really think he’s gonna run away?” Vergil didn’t answer, so Nero kept talking. “I feel like he could vanish if he would.” Dante joked that he couldn’t escape with Nero around, however, Nero had the hunch he could outsmart him and he didn’t like that. “Don’t you?” No answer. Nero stood up. “Father, are you listening?”

Nero went to Vergil’s side and glanced outside the windows to see what view enchanted his father to make him deaf to words. Night had fallen and looking into the shadows would have been difficult, hadn’t they been demons. They could perfectly distinguish Dante’s figure submerged until the waist into the puddle.

“You are worrying too much. I’m sure he won’t…” Dante’s hand dived between his legs, and the arm repeated the same quick short movement. “…escape.” Nero finished after a single and meaningful second of silence between the words.

Vergil crossed his arms and leaned against the wall without diverting his eyes from Dante. Nero imitated him.

***

nbsp;

Reaching a village big enough to have a tavern with bedrooms was a blessing. A warm room, a warm wooden tub and a warm meal.

“Are you saying you don’t like how I cook?” Dante pointed his spoon at Nero.

“I like it. But I don’t dislike a little variety on the menu.” Nero defended himself.

Not that the list of meals they could taste in that little place was long. The tavern was a bit bigger of a shack, and the owners, a man and his wife, seemed old enough to have lived through the last three wars from start to end. But the food was delicious, nonetheless.

Vergil nodded. “We can eat without worrying about rain or wild animals.” Or insects. He didn’t say that.

“And I suppose this gentle couple doesn’t let a soup burn.” Dante huffed. “How distracted can you be to let a pot burn like that? It was almost new, and I’ve been scratching soot from it for three days. At least you noticed it before the hut could burn…”

Nero’s ears turned red. “We got distracted talking about personal things.”

Dante believed Nero was embarrassed because he made such a rough mistake. On the other hand, Vergil looked like a person who could keep a face straight even when he was at fault and there was no way to mistake it. Both would never admit _he_ was the personal thing that distracted him, and that they weren’t talking but observing him.

“I will make sure not to leave our meals unattended again.” Dante took a sip of the wine. “It’s pretty good.”

“It is.” Vergil agreed because he was drinking his second glass, and his tongue was a tad more loosen than usual.

“We make it ourselves.” The old lady was passing around the tables with a steaming pot. “Do you want more stew, darlings?”

Vergil and Nero carried around their swords, and definitely gave the vibes of people one shouldn’t be messed around with. Dante looked more laid back, but he was their companion at the eyes of strangers. And yet, the lady was talking to them as if they were her sweet nephews.

“I’d love to, ma’am.” Dante raised his bowl.

“Me too.”

After she served Dante and Nero, the lady turned to Vergil. “And you, sweetie?”

She sounded so caring that Dante and Nero didn’t even think about smirking. Dante smiled at her.

“Just a bit more.” Vergil gave up.

“Very good. You must be tired if you come from the south. I heard they have closed Capulet again.”

“They have.” Dante confirmed. “We’ve been sleeping outside for almost a week now. Your inn is a blessing.”

The lady laughed. “If it keeps like this, we might expand our business. Never too late until you are alive. That’s what my grandma always said.” A man asking for more beer distracted her. “Have a nice dinner again, darlings.”

Nero ate some stew without waiting. Dante blew on his.

“This is a quiet village.”

“Being a village between two mayor towns provides plenty of protection for the area. Soldiers are always around for one reason or another.” Dante made a small bow with his head to point at a table of three men wearing casual clothes.

“Those look more like mercenaries.” Nero lowered his voice.

“Because they were. Noble families have been failing in sending sons who can hold their swords.” Dante ate a piece of meat. “They could send daughters, but of course they think that if you have a pussy, you can’t handle a sword, and there are too many mercenaries that don’t mind wearing an emblem if the pay is good.”

“You know a lot.” Vergil commented.

“I’m a merchant. Knowing a lot is my job. Information pay more than merch these days. You paid me for it.”

“So, you became a merchant for the thrill.” Nero inquired failing in having a tone that didn’t convey his interest.

“No. It was the only option I had to take care of my children. I don’t look like it, but I make enough money for them to live comfortably. I stay away from home for months sometimes, but it’s worth it.”

Dante didn’t have the vibes of someone who had a family waiting for him at home.

“What does your wife say?” Nero insisted.

“Oh, I don’t have a wife.” Dante was cheerful. “I happened to have sex, and the counterpart didn’t want the children. I took responsibility.”

Vergil’s eyes passed on Nero as he turned around to throw a disappointed glance to a couple of young lads cackling, but that instant was enough for Nero to understand he had to put a halt to his curiosity.

“Do you eat that?”

Nero shook his head and passed Dante the bread.

Later, in their room, Nero received the scolding he had been waiting for.

“Don’t be so blatant in showing your interest for him.”

“I know.” He replied lazily and took the sword off his back, but then frowned, as if he noticed something later. “I’m not interested in him. I’m just bored.”

They spent few minutes in silence while changing clothes and checking what remained in their bags. Vergil was writing down a list of what they needed to replenish.

“Are you interested in him, dad?”

“No.”

Vergil’s reply was too fast.

“Do you think it’s okay we sleep in two different rooms?”

“I thought you believe he won’t run anywhere. And I want to sleep peacefully for one night.”

He sounded like he needed some time without anyone around. Back at the castle, Vergil was used at spending most of his time alone, unless his duties forced him to social interactions. The effort of being around a stranger, and consequently keeping his defenses high for so long, weighed on his mind more than he expected to.

“I’ll go for a walk.” Vergil put the pen down. “Do you want to come?”

“No.” Nero put himself in bed, soft and good for his body that was forced to rest on the hard soil. Moreover, his full stomach was giving him a sense of satisfaction that lulled him towards the sleep. “I’ll just rest my eyes.”

Vergil turned the little lever of the two oil lamps to lessen the light.

“There’s no need.” Nero grumbled with his voice fading more and more at each word.

The frizzling breeze of the night shook away the slight lethargy clinging onto Vergil. He wanted to check on the horses and, on the way, find out Dante’s whereabouts. He wasn’t in his room, but he had to be nearby, because Vergil could still sense his presence. He followed his scent and, not really to his surprise, he found himself on the way to the stables. Dante didn’t hide how much he cared for his horse, so it wasn’t weird that he wanted to make sure she was okay.

The stable stunk of horses, humans and fresh sex. Vergil wrinkled his nose.

In a corner, Dante was kneeling on the fresh straw and sucking one of the mercenaries’ dick. The man looked like he had been blessed with a heavenly threat. He would probably fall limp on the ground if he wasn’t leaning against the wall. Out of the blue, when he still had his dick sucked, the mercenary pushed Dante lying face down on the straw and almost ripped his trousers in the heat of the moment. He roughly pushed his dick into Dante’s ass.

Vergil thought he didn’t have much more to see, and he could go back to his room. But his legs didn’t move, and he witnessed the action until the very end, when the man almost collapsed with a joyful grunt. Dante looked like he didn’t gain the same amount of satisfaction.

“Heh.” Dante huffed standing up as if he hadn’t just been rammed in the ass by a man twice his size. “Your horse would have been a better mate.” The man was snoring already and didn’t hear him. Dante made him roll on his back with a foot. He didn’t bother checking if the mercenary could breathe with his face dunked into the straw and approached Rebellion to comb her hair.

Vergil came back to his room but fell asleep only two hours before dawn.


	2. The Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They find the dragon, at last.

“Who exactly told you about me?” Dante had never asked before. He didn’t really mind, because he had a hunch who could be, but the travel that day seemed longer, and he was bored and in need of a conversation to kill time.

The village they wanted to reach before sunset wasn’t in sight yet. Nero was hungry and didn’t get the question immediately. Vergil answered.

“A man named Morrison.”

“Yeah, figures.” Dante smiled. “It’s always him.”

“Always?”

“He usually introduces people who brings me trouble.”

Vergil ignored the insinuation. “Actually, our first trail was more solid than the rumor of a merchant who saw a dragon.”

“I can still disappear, and you won’t hear of me ever again.”

“I hardly doubt it.” Vergil didn’t mind Dante’s dramatic frown. “We knew for sure that someone kidnapped a dragon cub and wanted to buy it. We would release and follow him back to the nest.”

“That’s a good idea until the mommy or daddy or both don’t believe you don’t want to harm the baby.” Dante comments. “I suppose you are clever enough to be aware of the risks. Is there a particular reason you need a dragon?”

“Not a reason you should know of.”

Dante shrugged. “I hope for you that some dragons remained after the great purge. I feel like you have a very good reason to put up with me.”

“Indeed.”

“What happened to the cub?” Dante patted Rebellion’s head; she was nervous that day and didn’t like the loud sound of a branch she had just stepped on.

“The smuggler pretended he never had it. We made him talk. Someone kidnapped the cub right under his nose.” Nero explained. “That’s when we met with Morrison.”

“Yeah, Morrison is a middleman. Probably the smuggler wanted to sell the cub to some rich idiot.” Dante shrugged. “Lucky you the baby dragon escaped.”

Vergil arched an eyebrow. “Because this way we could meet you?”

“That too. And, I might repeat myself, but I don’t think that being caught by a dragon anywhere nearby their cub who was kidnapped is the best idea in the history of the ideas.”

“We are aware of the dangers of this search.” Those words didn’t faze Vergil. “Do you really think we are like those adventurers who want to find glory chasing wild beasts?”

“I’ve learnt I can expect anything from everyone.”

Dante didn’t add anything else. He wasn’t interested in inquiring again what they wanted from a dragon. Maybe, because his current task was just bringing them at the entrance of her nest, Nero thought, he only cared about having his money and going back to his children safe and sound.

The village timidly appeared on the horizon.

“Finally. I can’t wait to sleep in a bed.” Dante made Rebellion trot a bit faster on the road.

“You were snoring last night. I couldn’t sleep.” Vergil scolded him. “We should look for three separate rooms.”

“You are just pretending. This is the first time I hear you complain about it.”

Vergil didn’t listen to Dante. “Let’s go.”

That village was big enough to be almost considered a small town. The buildings were small but made in stone, the roads were paved and there were more people walking around. They passed through a market articulated from a small square to the streets and reached the inn.

“I’ll do some shopping.” Dante checked Rebellion’s bags. “We can meet here for dinner.”

“Don’t complain if you don’t like your room.” Vergil warned him.

“I trust you.” With a nod of the head, Dante grabbed an empty bag. “See you later then.”

They were lucky enough to find a room each. Vergil felt relieved he could enjoy some time on his own, without the stress of being constantly under two pair of eyes.

“I’m going to rest in my room. Check what he is doing.” Vergil always kept an eye open during Dante’s night shifts. “We are never too safe.” The more they got closer, the more he didn’t want to lose another trail.

“Roger that.” Nero was tired too, but he also couldn’t wait to reach another town to see some life that wasn’t plants, insects or rabbits.

Following Dante wasn’t difficult. He had a peculiar scent, different from the humans in that region. Probably, he came from another land, but asking would mean showing too much interest, and probably his father would scold him (again).

Nero found Dante at the market. He was talking with an old lady selling spices – the scent tickled Nero’s nose, and he almost sneezed. The countless voices didn’t allow him to overhear what they were talking about, but, in the end, Dante bought a small sack of an orangish powder. Then, Dante exchanged a coin for an apple and ate it as he dived into the crowd to exit in an empty street.

Nero chased him to an alley. The voices from the market barely reached him. A rhythmic metallic sound shook the silence. A hammer was beating on an anvil.

Did Dante need a weapon? If he didn’t trust them, he had other chances of finding one. Maybe the blacksmith was his friend. Dante told them he travelled those places countless times. Nero sat on the corner, waiting for him to come out. He followed the lazy passage of the sun above his head and glanced away whenever someone passed in front of him.

Too much time passed. The sun was on his way to set, and Nero wondered if Dante was waiting for something to be prepared on the moment or he just lost himself in useless chit-chats. He was tired of waiting without doing anything. He could pretend he wanted to have his sword checked (not a bad idea, actually) and run into Dante. That plan seemed flawless, so, Nero opened the door.

As careful as he might be, the door cracked a bit, and Nero became an announced customer. However, the shop was empty. The embers in the black forge pulsated of a menacing light. There was an abandoned sword on the anvil, and a huge bucked of water right next to it.

Nero thought Dante managed to slip away. But he relaxed, because his presence was still strong in there, so probably he just moved somewhere else in the shop. The dying fire sizzled, and another noise mingled with it. Nero followed the feeble sound to a door. Maybe he could knock and ignore why disturbing two heavy breaths in a supposedly closed room was a bad idea. His hand stopped right before the knuckles knocked on the door, and Nero spotted a hole in the wall. Just a peek to make sure their only lead to the dragon wasn’t being stabbed in a dark room for his smartass mouth.

Nero could relax. Dante wasn’t dying. The only thing the blacksmith wanted to stab him with was his dick. Nero arrived at the closure of the act, just in time to hear Dante’s voice melting in a sinful moan right before the blacksmith pushed him against the wall to be as deep as possible inside him. When both sat down to catch their breaths, Nero decided he wanted to go out from there, and his legs guided him to the exit.

No matter how much his demon eyes were good, Nero couldn’t see through the blacksmith’s head, and he was denied the view of Dante’s face. The perspective wasn’t the best, but it was true he wasn’t even supposed to be there. He went back to the market, and the view of the apples reminded him of the crunchy sound of Dante’s teeth sinking in it. Then, his mind showed him the memory of the blacksmith biting his shoulder.

“Sir, would you like some fruit?” The little boy standing next to his father behind the stall looked hopefully at him.

Nero shook the memory away. “An apple, please.”

***

They were once again into the wild. Nero didn’t mind sleeping while looking at the stars –because it meant the chances of rain were almost inexistent– but he minded if they were close to a village and decided to avoid it.

“This area is already under Sanctus’ dominion. He managed to establish the old Order of the Hunters, and they don’t really enjoy people without a pass in their towns.”

“Aren’t you a merchant?” Nero asked.

“They don’t grant a pass as they grant death sentences. I never have enough spare money to purchase one from the Order, and those are a one-time use pass. A waste of coins since I know how to navigate the surrounding fields.”

“What does this Order hunt?” Vergil inquired.

“Whatever isn’t of their liking. They pretend they want to purge these lands from whoever isn’t human, or humans can’t hunt or subdue. But it quickly escalated into killing who doesn’t like Sanctus’ tyranny.”

“As it always happens.” Vergil nodded. He was aware of the tense situations in the lands of humans and wasn’t surprised that people like Sanctus existed. His standards for humans were very low.

That evening they were lucky enough to find an old camp of merchants abandoned not long time ago.

“The wayfarer of Matier. They usually set camps like these for other people who might need them. Unfortunately, many times, bored people destroy them.”

“Don’t you mean asshole knights?”

Dante smiled at Nero’s remark.

Despite being just some pieces of wood raised to create a small shelter carved into the side of the hill, that small camp seemed resistant. A fire and some chops of wood as seats were the final touch to make it comfortable for one night.

“There’s a little lake down there.” Nero pointed from where he was coming. “I took some water.”

“We’ll fill the canteens after dinner.” Vergil passed him the bowl, and Nero ate without asking what it was.

The first times, whenever Dante cooked, he always asked what he made. However, anything he prepared was delicious and, at a certain point, Nero stopped questioning him and just ate. The delicious scent never failed to accompany a likewise delicious meal.

Dante told them he learnt to cook because someone had to feed his children, and he was the one up for the task.

“And where are they now?” Nero asked.

“With a friend. I’ll be back to them as soon as I have brought you where you want to go.”

At that, Nero thought he really wanted to make sure Dante was safe at least until they were together.

With the stomach full and the body tired from an entire day of ride, Nero felt comfortable on the grass, and the bag he used as a pillow seemed softer than usual. As always, Dante stayed in between him and Vergil, because that erased any chance that the slightest movement coming from him could escape their fine senses. Outside, Nero and Vergil never fell in a deep sleep, and they counted each time Dante woke up for his urges or just sat and stared at the fire until he fell asleep again.

That night, Dante moved when the fire burnt itself into pulsating embers. He took some time to ignite it again, then walked into the woods.

A little branch extended a bit further from one the closest trees to the small lake. It fit perfectly as a hanger to his clothes and towel, so he wouldn’t find them dirtied in soil and night insects. The water was cold, but temperature had never bothered him his entire life. No matter how many times Dante bathed at night outside, the moment his body was swallowed into a black surface, his chest always clutched.

Dante pushed his feet against a rock and swam until he reached the center of the lake. The water only reached his shoulders. He dived under the surface and remained in the bubbling silence of the water until some hands dragged him out.

He took some quick breaths and looked into Nero’s worried eyes. The other pair of hands holding him was Vergil’s. They didn’t even take their clothes off before jumping into water.

“Are you okay?!” Nero sounded alarmed.

“I wasn’t drowning.” Dante chuckled. “I can take care of myself.” Their embarrassment became almost tangible, drenching the air like humidity that entered their lungs. “Or are you still worried I may leave?”

Vergil followed the slow movement of Dante’s hand moving his hair to the right side of his neck, uncovering the curve of his shoulder. His mind screamed to bite that part of his body, but Vergil ignored his instinct and grabbed Dante’s chin. Dante didn’t resist; he followed Vergil’s lead and turned his head around.

Nero clenched his fists as he observed his father kissing Dante on the lips and Dante resting a gentle hand on his father’s face. However, the surging envy lasted the time of a brief contact. Dante turned to him and took his face into both hands. Nero closed his eyes as Dante pulled to kiss him. He felt his cheeks burning.

They brought Dante on the shore and dried the droplets of water from his body with their lips. Dante’s skin was so tasty they couldn’t see the bottom of their desire of him. They licked his chest and enjoyed how he squirmed when they kissed the trail of hair from his navel to his groin.

If someone had told Nero he would find beautiful the view of an old man arching his back, overwhelmed by having his father’s tongue between his legs, he would have laughed it off. If someone had told Vergil he would yearn for the body of a foolish merchant as he would for water in the desert, he would have ignored such empty words. And yet, they were praising Dante’s body and longing for each moan escaping his lips.

Dante never took the initiative. He bent his head whenever one of them grabbed his hair for a kiss, spread his legs under the pressure of their hands and let them mold his body to their pleasure. Nero thought they were in control, because he was the one clenching Dante’s hair as he sucked him. Vergil, on the opposite, felt Dante shivering from the moment he penetrated him from behind, and the idea they were leading the act never crossed his mind once.

They fell into his lair and the lust grappled to them, too dense to flee. Both sank into the desire the same way Dante dived into the lake. But, instead of pulling them up, Dante allowed them to remain in that cozy space, where they could use him as they pleased.

“What are you thinking about?” Dante’s lips were dirty of Nero’s semen. Nero, too filled with physical satisfaction, dazed off from reality and didn’t hear his voice. “Are you tired already, Nero?”

The crackling flames of the little bonfire casted weird orange lights into Dante’s eyes. Vergil realized he didn’t mind he succumbed to his instincts. It was worth it.

“Are you?” Vergil kissed him and felt Nero’s taste into his mouth.

Vergil and Nero made love with Dante until the flames turned into black embers.

***

They were getting closer. Upon arriving to a town free from Sanctus’ grip, Dante told them they had two or three days of ride from there. Vergil was ashamed he almost forgot the feeling of duty that accompanied him during his missions. He didn’t forget why he was there, but the unexpected company Dante proved to be weakened the strict hold on his behavior, and he found himself indulging in useless activities. They visited a market and watched a show; they bathed into a river despite being clean and dropped by a field of flowers to allow Dante gather some for his children – the country is plenty of flowers, he can come back here later, Vergil thought but didn’t say anything.

Dante brought him back to the harsh reality. The weight of the meaning of his and Nero’s journey bothered his shoulders again. He hid the unpleasant clench in his stomach behind a stoic mask. Nero looked surprised, probably because he was brought back to reality as well and expected they would spend more time with Dante.

_ How silly. _ Vergil heard the words into his head pronounced with his own voice like he used to do whenever Nero acted following his guts instead of his brain. The physical affinity bloomed between them naturally. Maybe it happened when their fingers touched while handing object to each other, or when Dante dared pat a hand on his shoulder, or their bodies collided to avoid people walking into them. Vergil only knew for sure he didn’t dislike the warm contact of Dante’s body.

That fire could fade, of course, but there was no reason not to enjoy until it pulsated through their veins. Dante had his own life, he had children to take care of. If the obsession wouldn’t give Vergil a break, he could always made Dante enter their country as a merchant. There would be a place for his children as well. And if the flame was still there, Vergil could let him stay and offer him a more rewarding position.

Vergil hadn’t lost himself in fantasies since when he was a young boy who dreamt of becoming as powerful as his dad. He could hate how the thought of Dante got under his skin, if only the lustful attraction wasn’t so strong to suffocate other feelings.

The view of Dante riding Nero was almost endearing. Dante realized Nero’s inexperience right away and guided him like a caring parent. He muttered tender words at his ear when he couldn’t control his orgasms and moans, and bent to Nero’s childish wishes, making him try what crossed his mind. Dante probably was a good father.

Vergil embraced him from behind. “You told me you are good at riding.” He kissed his neck.

“Ah, you remember.”

There was no way Vergil couldn’t remember. His eyes and ears were always on him.

***

“We are almost there.”

One second and they were joking about travelling to the southern lands, where the sun always shone. One second and they stopped talking in the barren hilly lands. The trees became a far memory; there were only grass and bushes as far as the eye could see. On the paved road, they only met signs that told how far the closest towns were.

“Where is the cave?” Vergil asked.

“I had barely passed after that sign…” Dante pointed at the sign that told the nearest citadel was still far away. “…and saw it going into that cave.” There was a big hole in the hill in front of them. “I told you when I went back here with the knights, they found nothing, not even a trace. Maybe the dragon left and erased any trace.”

“How can a dragon erase their traces?” Nero asked.

Dante chuckled. “Beats me. Do I look like a dragon expert to you?”

“We are pretty good at following trails, no matter how little the trace might be.” Nero was confident they were close to the end of their journey, but the idea didn’t fill him with the amount of relief he expected. “If the dragon was here and left, we’ll find out.”

“Do not make up any scenario before we know more.” Vergil reprimanded him. “As we discussed before, the moment we are sure of the presence, current or old, of the dragon, you will go back.” He said at Dante. “After we give you the second half of the pay.”

“I thought you forgot about the money.” Dante’s last chuckle betrayed his tension. “Heh. I swore to myself I’d never come to the Barrens again.”

“But Capulet City is beyond the Barrens and one of the richest citadels in this region.” Nero remembered Dante told him when he asked about the lands where he saw the dragon. “You could have followed a group of merchants.”

“Yeah, I could have used them as a bait for another danger. Why taking the risk?” Dante shrugged. “I––hey!” Rebellion would have bumped into Beowulf if Dante hadn’t pulled her reins to abruptly change her direction. “What’s wrong?”

“Get away.”

Dante frowned at Vergil’s unexpected request.

“Wha–”

For the first time since they met, Vergil ripped the cloth covering the sword he brought with him. The hilt and the blade were thinner than those Dante was used to see. Nero proudly showed the weapon hanging from his back, a repellent for the bandits, and Dante assumed Vergil’s had a similar shape. Instead, it was a half of Nero’s sword, but the blade vibrated as it cut the air. A projectile of fire split in two against Vergil’s blade. Dante felt its energy scraping his skin.

“They are using a Fury Artifact.” Vergil commented.

Nero dismounted. “You are a good target up there, Dante.”

Dante got off Rebellion and remained near her to keep her calm. “What’s a Fury Artifact?”

“It makes you invisible and undetectable.” As long as one didn’t use their own demonic powers, but Vergil omitted that.

“Hah. I wondered why it took them so much time to make a move.” Nero didn’t seem that worried. “I expected them to jump at us as soon as we left home.”

“Wait, so you knew someone might follow you?” Dante shook his head. “I knew this was a bad idea from the start.”

Vergil looked disappointed. “They aren’t even worthy the time we’ll waste to slay them. Let’s make this quick, Nero.”

“Sure.”

Many shadows appeared from nowhere and made a circle that was impossible to escape from without any physical contact. The fleeting images took shapes and the illusion that hid them wore out. A voice squawked an unpleasant laugh. Rebellion fidgeted but didn’t move further because Dante was stroking her neck.

Those creatures were hideous in their appearance and stench. Humanoid bodies that seemed to regurgitate flesh hardly contained under scales similar to rocks.

“Stay behind us.” Nero told Dante.

“Kill them and take their pet.” The same voice growled. “We’ll sell him and then leave these stinky human lands.”

Vergil fueled himself with a cold deadly calm to find the quickest way to deal with those small fries. But an unexpected voice behind him disrupted his concentration.

“What? Do you want to leave so soon?”

Dante spoke loud and clearly, so that everyone heard him.

“Shut up, fool.” Vergil quickly overcame the surprise Dante was such an idiot he could find the guts to sound so cocky when in clear danger. “Don’t you understand that if you aren’t careful, you won’t get away just with a punch in your guts? Let us handle this.”

“We’ll explain later.” Nero added with a tone very similar to his father.

To their distress, Dante ignored Vergil. “I mean, it’s almost time for dinner. Leaving like that would be quite rude.”

The puzzlement of the demons made way to a chuckle that spread among them like a wave, until it turned in pleased laughs.

“I’m afraid we’ll decline your invitation!” The leader opened his arms. “Such a shame, isn’t it?!”

“Oh, but I insist.” Dante wasn’t shutting his mouth.

Vergil turned around in a gush of rage. “Dante! You–” And his voice froze in his throat.

Flames devoured Dante’s irises. A blink of an eye, and a web of gleaming orange veins cracked his skin open. Another blink, and Dante wasn’t anymore between him and Nero, but grew taller and wider. His bones and muscles snapped loudly as they changed to adapt to the new shape, until Dante obscured the sun gleaming up in the sky and all became silent. Vergil and Nero looked up in shock at the gargantuan creature curled to form an unescapable circle around them and the demons.

“My children will be delighted to have _you_ for dinner.”

Dante’s voice was distorted, and his breath scorched more than the desert wind. He opened his jaws and showed his sharp teeth. There was an orange inferno burning deep down his pitch-black throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, so surprise, much shock. I bet nobody expected this very much big plot twist.


	3. The Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vergil and Nero meet Dante's children.

Vergil didn’t know how to name the feeling twirling inside his stomach. Probably irritation, because he had been fooled since the very beginning. Confusion without a single doubt, because Dante swallowed in a single gulp all the demons who came for them but spared him and Nero. A sinister sense of relief, because they reached their goal but, at the same time, didn’t know what to expect.

Dante was a dragon. So huge that the endless cave he was guiding Vergil and Nero into looked tiny as he crawled through the immense corridors. He was covered in blackish scales that weren’t wedged in perfectly one to the other, as right under that thick layer myriads of shades of orange pulsated like lava. His long tail waved above their heads.

Nero was too confused to be as livid as he wanted to be. In his head, countless question whirled like whirlpools in the water, making him feel dizzy. Part of his physical reaction could also be due to his hunger.

“What’s going on?” Nero’s snort echoed in the cave. “Why didn’t you eat us?”

“Well…” Dante’s new voice sounded like a cacophony of the same single voice talking at the same time with different volumes. It was like an echo that could almost become a single sound, but you could still hear there were many voices. “…that was the main idea when we started out journey.”

Honestly, nor Vergil nor Nero expected the answer to be so blunt.

“You wanted to eat us?!” Nero blurted out.

“Feed you to my children. Not every day two demons walk in these lands and want to come to my house willingly.”

Nero opened his mouth again, but Vergil was faster. “Then, if you have children, it means there is another dragon here.” That sounded like the most natural conclusion. “I didn’t expect to find two.”

The grave rumble that made Nero jump and look around was just Dante’s chuckle. “I don’t have any partner. Those are all my children, even if I gave birth only to one of them.”

“Excuse me?” Vergil snapped. “I think I was tricked enough during these days.”

“I’m not tricking you. I had a baby, then I started looking for all those cubs whose parents died or abandoned.” Dante sounded chill. He kept slithering down in the depths of the earth, slow enough for Vergil and Nero’s tiny legs to keep his pace. “I didn’t think demons had fixed ideas on genres like humans. That’s a surprise.”

“You don’t look like a female.” Vergil deadpanned him.

Despite being a giant lizard with strong legs and arms and four wings folded along his back, Dante turned around with a graceful and quick twirl. Both Vergil and Nero expected an attack, or at least a deep frown. Instead, Dante’s face was bestowing an endeared look upon them. “That is because you are too blind to see. I’m currently the last Dragon Queen around here. Your information wasn’t up to date, apparently.”

Vergil felt those words like an insult. However, Nero, who didn’t mind he was now face to face with a creature whose powers probably overcame his own, stomped few steps forward.

“Hey, Dante!” He raised his voice to make sure everyone understood how pissed he was. “I don’t care if you are a king, a queen or a chamberlain!” He didn’t even know that dragons had queens and kings.

“Chamberlain?”

Nero ignored Dante’s perplexed snort. “You wanted to make a banquet with us!”

“Well, I couldn’t storage you. You two would barely be enough for my children.”

“That’s not the point! I trusted you!” His voice was a whip in the cold silence of the cave. Nero himself was embarrassed he definitely let go of any care. But he would face his father’s usual quarrel on controlling one own’s guts in any situation; right now, he was fueled with enough bitter sadness to snarl at a dragon’s face. “And you thought we were food all the time!”

“Not really. Just the first days.” Dante’s groan was warm, and his breath reached both in a tender touch. “That’s why I hardly hunt. I might attract dragon hunters here. They have been regrouping lately, you saw that citadel under the Order’s influence. But children must be fed, and some of my kind have perished already by their hand during the hunt. That cub you wanted to use, his parents were killed last month, and I saved him just in time.”

“Why didn’t you eat us then?” Nero crossed his arms.

“You never chat with your pork roast or rabbit before eating it, don’t you?” Dante pointed out. “It proves difficult even killing a little piglet the moment you interact. Of course, many humans don’t share my same point of view.” He didn’t wait for an answer and gave them his back again. The tail swung up in the air so that it didn’t smash Vergil and Nero against some rock. “Come, we are almost there.”

Nero grunted, but he followed him anyway. During his outburst, Vergil calmed enough to recollect some pieces and reflect on them.

“That Morrison brought us to you. Is he a dragon too?”

“Oh no. He is a former dragon slayer. Years ago, I saved him, and he decided to help me raise my babies as much as he can.”

“Including _food provisions_.” Vergil pointed out.

“More or less.”

“He is a human, but he knew we are demons, right?”

Dante nodded, then realized they couldn’t see him from behind. “Before specializing in slaying my kin, he was a generic hunter and travelled outside the edges of this land.”

“He hunted anything that wasn’t human.”

“He hunted whatever and whoever could be hunted for coins, including humans.”

Nero carefully listened to them talking, even if he had no chance to sneak in the conversation. He had nothing to add, but venomous remarks and insults for Dante. He laughed with him, taught him recipes, told stories about those lands. Damn it, he had sex with him and held him tenderly into his arms while whispering sweet words at his ear. Nero’s ears burnt at the memory: he felt longing and anger fighting into his chest.

“What if your spawn attacks us?”

“Spawn.” Dante grumbled. “My children are lovely kids, not beasts. I raised them properly.” He bent the long neck to look behind at Vergil and hissed smoke from his nostrils.

Nero coughed. “Oh yeah.” The smoke lingered around them like fog. “As if they wouldn’t think their mommy brought some hunt-and-slay snacks.”

“If I wanted you to become food, you would have been long dead. Way before we arrived here. As I said, my children are polite. And they haven’t learnt how to hunt yet. They might think of you as new friends.” Dante took two steps and he was gulped down in a steep descent, his long tail flickering before disappearing after his body. “Don’t worry, it’s safe.”

Vergil and Nero run to the edge of the deep abyss and looked down. Sinuous like a snake, Dante traversed the path with the swiftness of someone who had been living there for long enough to know every single ravine. He stopped where there was no more rock to step on. The darkness was so thick that they could only distinguish Dante with their eyes because he gleamed in the dark like a burning sun. The cracking web of pulsating light drew his figure, from the pointy tail to the tall horns.

Dante looked up, and the darkness split in an orange smile. “Jump on my back.”

“Excuse me, what?!” Nero knew he went crazy. “No way!”

“Then I hope you can grow wings.” Dante stood on all four legs. The vault so up above his head allowed him not to crouch against the ground anymore. The lights extended like branches against the moon: Dante had just spread his four wings. “It’s a long fall to the final stop.”

Nero turned to Vergil. “Should we…” Riding a dragon without dying sounded like a one in a lifetime chance, but, at the same time, both could transform and just follow Dante. The real matter was how much they could trust him now. However, Nero somehow felt the answer in his guts.

“We are guests. It would be disrespectful.”

“Why can’t you just say you want to ride him too?”

“Too?”

Nero jolted. “Well–”

From under them, Dante coughed twice. “Hem hem. Last call before I dive on my own.”

Vergil leaped forward and landed directly on Dante’s back. Nero distinguished his little shadow standing on the light and let himself fall to land at his side, in a pool of comfortable warmth. The sturdy scales spiking from the flesh resembled a barren volcanic landscape. Both wondered if Dante could feel the pressure of their fingers holding onto them.

“Beware the whirlpools.”

_ What whirlpools? _

They weren’t given enough time to ask. Dante dived down into the darkness, falling like a rock thrown into the water. His wings cut the air with a loud whistle but didn’t slow him down. The heavy whirlpools of air beat Vergil and Nero’s faces with violence. They closed their eyes and lowered their heads to find shield behind the scaled, but the wind always found a way to whip their bodies with incessant hits from any side.

Nero’s ears hurt. He felt like corks beating against his eardrums. The sound of the winds turned hollow, his limbs became limp, and he was only sure that his hands were solidly clamped on the scale in front of him because he felt the rough texture of the scales scratching his skin. He had never experienced such a speed in his life, and probably his body wouldn’t be able to endure it more.

Then, as it began, it ended.

Dante landed on the ground on all his four limbs. The soil rumbled as if it was trying to imitate a thunderous tempest, and the roar slowly faded in the distance to make room for a still silence. Dante crouched down.

“We arrived.” He announced.

Nero was leaning on his stomach, and, for once, he didn’t hurry to pull himself together just to please his father and show him he was strong and could take care of himself. Unexpectedly, Vergil put a hand on his head. Nero looked up to meet his worried gaze.

“You will get used to it the more you will evolve your demonic power.”

“Riding a dragon?” Nero was glad he could talk.

“The speed. You are still slower than me.”

Vergil peeked through the greyish tall trees of scales and saw a bright vault of rocks. It seemed a boring glimmering replica of the cave they left. He jumped down from Dante’s back, but still couldn’t see the source of light. The moment Nero landed next to him, he walked around Dante’s huge body.

However, Dante slammed his tail to block their path.

“What does this mean?” Vergil looked up. “I–” His senses flickered as something vibrated in the stillness of the cave. Many presences awakened, disrupting the silence around them in the blink of an eye. Those energies seemed to flow directly from that place itself, so similar to Dante’s that Vergil barely realized the direction from where they approached them.

Six dark projectiles dashed into Dante’s chest, ripping him a joyful “Ow!” that whistled from among his teeth. He laughed at the cacophony of the sloppily spelt “Mommy!” overlapping.

Vergil and Nero climbed on Dante’s tail, and a realm of fire and gold hurt their eyes. A sweep of rivulets of lava crossed through rocks and hills of gold sprinkled with colored precious gems. The explosion of orange, red and golden made that place almost seem painted on a canvas.

On their left, seven chonky little dragons of different shapes and colors were piling up one on the other to get as close as they could to their mother. Dante held them into his strong arms.

“I missed you, my little lizards.” He brought them close to his face, and each little dragon rubbed their heads against his snout.

Nero wondered for how long his children remained alone waiting for his return. Their happy whines and sobs melted some of the anger he built around his heart. A little endeared chuckle escaped his lips, feeble and almost imperceptible. But the little dragons went silent and twisted their necks to turn their heads at Nero. That small insignificant noise was a foreign sound in the happiness of their family, and they immediately stuck their eyes at its source. Nero believed for a second that they had just decided he could work as a snack before dinner.

But, to his surprise, the dragons climbed on Dante in a hurry to hide behind his neck and shoulders. They disappeared only to pop their big eyes over their mother and peek down at the intruders.

“They know that if I bring someone with me, they are friends. But it’s been a while, and they are quite shy at first.” Dante spread his wings again. “Hold tight, we’ll land down there.”

Vergil wanted to ask why he didn’t land immediately on the golden surface instead of choosing that cliff that dominated the entire area, but either he chose that, or he shut up to avoid any debris entering his mouth as Dante dived again. The fall was quicker, and the landing softer. But Nero didn’t want to ride a dragon anymore at least for five minutes straight.

He had no time to finish to worry about his stomach that he heard some unsettling groans coming from Dante. It almost sounded like he was trying to cough, but something was stuck in his throat and his voice came out scratching from his chest. A big bulge climbed up his throat, and Vergil and Nero got far from Dante to avoid the cascade of little dragons who rolled down from his back and quickly regrouped in front of him.

Dante vomited three of the demons he gulped down. Their corpses were enveloped in a disgusting dense saliva. Of course, the only ones who minded that little particular were Vergil and Nero, because the little dragons grouped around their dinner and devoured the flesh kept warm in their mother’s stomach not minding the saliva.

“Easy…” Dante gently pushed with his tail the smallest child forward, so he could sneak into the circle better and have his share. “Be good babies. Mommy has something to discuss with his friends.”

Their gnarls and chews sounded like a silent consent.

Dante placed himself between his guests and his children. “Now, how about you tell me what you want from me? I’ll see if I can help.” He leaned down comfortably like a huge scaly cat, with his front paws crossed and dangling from a little height.

“Why are you so calm?” Nero lost his irritation in the way down Dante’s home. “What if we are here to kill you?”

“I doubt it.”

“You doubt that we are here to kill you?”

“I doubt you can kill me.” He smirked. “Tell me what you want. Or do you prefer something to drink first?”

Vergil shrugged. “Why not?”

A handful of minutes later, they were holding cups suitable for their size filled with a warm liquid that smelt like honey and flowers.

“That’s an infusion has an addition of creamy rocks that grow only down here.”

“Creamy rocks?” Nero wondered if that creaminess came from such a thing. “Are you kidding me?”

“No. They are delicious. You crack them under your teeth and it’s almost like milk flowing down your throat.”

Vergil was holding his cup with one hand around it and the other under. He observed his own shady reflection on the amber beverage. That smell was delicate and inviting; it relaxed his mind.

“My father, Sparda, is perishing. Some months ago, a curse was casted upon him. The one who did it died.” Vergil explained in a cold voice. “I searched the old tomes and stumbled upon what they call the–”

“Breath of the Monarch.” Dante interrupted him. “Only the most powerful dragons can do it.”

Vergil nodded. “I was aware only few dragons were left, and I wanted to believe they were the strongest. I need that power.” He raised his head and stared at Dante without blinking. “I need the Breath of the Monarch to save my father.”

Dante didn’t flinch. Reading his face was impossible.

“Would you mind telling me what the book tells about Breath of the Monarch?”

“The breath of a powerful dragon is able to treat any magical and supernatural alteration on living beings, including curses.” He carved each line from that page into his mind.

“I see.” Dante closed his eyes for too long for a simple blink. “I’m afraid I cannot satisfy your request.”

“Why?!” Nero stepped in. “We aren’t asking you to come with us! We read you can breathe on a blade, so we just need to stab grandfather! What does it change to you if he lives? He has no intention of hunting you and your children down!”

“The thing is…” Dante stopped to find the right words. “…that book altered the truth about this power. Have you ever heard of the kingdom of the Capulet?”

Nero shook his head. Vergil nodded. “They were destroyed by a neighboring kingdom. But a magician cursed the invaders, so all the lands that belonged to the Capulet wilted. Those lands are now worse than a desert, because even the sturdiest plant or animal cannot adapt and survive there.” He reported what he read many years ago.

“That is the current state of things. Even a dragon cannot survive there for a long period of time. Life won’t be back again for many decades.” Dante agreed. “However, I’m afraid the story reported in books is different from the truth. The daughter of the king was gravely ill, and no doctor nor magician could heal her condition. She was destined to die. The king happened to be acquainted with a dragon. In his youth, the king saved her eggs, so he called back for that favor and asked her to save his daughter. Of course, until that moment, no dragon had ever used their Breath of the Monarch on anyone else but dragons. The results looked good at first: the daughter recovered quickly from the illness. But then, few weeks later, the princess disappeared. Not much time after her disappearance, people started getting mad. They were driven by a thirst of blood no one had ever seen before. That old dragon came to help as soon as word of the problems in the kingdom reached her ears, and she saw people with blank eyes devouring each other, dead bodies raising and hunting living creatures. She had no choice but burn them all to the crisp before the curse of her own power reached outside the kingdom of Capulet. Those accursed humans were so strong, she had to burn the land itself and turn everything into cinder. When she told what happened to our kin, she affirmed that she still could hear laments coming from the ashes. Today, people call those lands the Gray Desert. The confining kingdoms have their troops always stationed in case something might arise again.” A heavy silence fell among them, ruined by the gnaws of the hungry children. “The dragon realized the princess ended up dying anyway but went back to life imbued with her power. The same princess who swore to protect her own lands, brought ruin upon them. I have no idea if the breath could have the same effect on demons, but I’d rather not have you experience the fleeting joy of seeing your father getting better only for you to kill him. Nor fly so far in a hurry to destroy everyone and everything.”

Vergil listened in silence. The color from his face slid away, leaving behind a hard expression. His eyes trembled, and the knuckles of his hands turned white for how much he dug his nails into the palms of his hands.

“I see.” His voice was perfectly calm. “Then, there’s nothing to do.”

Vergil let out a surprised moan feeling something coarse brushing against his left hand. One of the little dragons was brushing her head against him in the manner a feline would do. Up close, he noticed her horns were so small that barely poked out from her skull, and her paws and chests, instead of being strong and muscular like Dante’s, were chubby. The little dragon sat down and looked up at Vergil with her big orange eyes. She blinked twice and tilted her head with a little perplexed groan. Probably, that was Dante’s natural child. Vergil noticed her small wings weren’t of the same size, one was half of the other, and she missed the right front paw.

“Ebony, have you finished your meal?”

As she heard Dante’s voice, the dragon clumsily trotted back at him. She leaped, but her wings were too small to hold her up in the air, so she clung onto the rock and tried to prop herself up with the rear paws. Dante gently picked her, and the little one scampered to go hide under his stomach.

“Did she have an accident?” Vergil felt comfort in having something to talk about that distracted him from the idea he only had a little time left to spend with his father and that he wasted it chasing a lie.

“No. She was born like this. Her father is the reason why I will never mate with another dragon again.”

“Why?” Nero sensed the irritation in Dante’s voice, and Dante did nothing to hide it.

“Because, as soon as he saw Ebony had a smaller wing and missed one paw, he wanted to killer her. She wouldn’t grow strong, and we would be forced to protect her, he said. Then, he added some bullshit about dragon heritage. So, I ate him.” Dante made a grimace, showing his teeth. “Never ever eat a dragon. He tasted like the shit he was.” He shook his head to get that memory out of his head. “Will you stay for dinner? I promise you are not the main course, nor the dessert.”

Nero almost chuckled, but he was still elaborating the idea that Dante casually ate another dragon.

“No.” Vergil replied. “We have to go back now. We don’t need any ride.”

Dante nodded. “I see. Had I known the reason you came to me, I would have told you immediately.”

“Why?”

The other children devoured everything of the demons, even the bones. With their bellies filled, they gathered around Dante. Some squeezed under body and some climbed on his back in search of the warm contact they had been missing for a long time.

“Because usually a child wants to spend as much time as possible with their parents.”

Vergil huffed. “Somehow, it was worth it.”

They left under the curious eyes of the little dragons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eating the rude is a big mood, and Dante did well imho.


	4. The Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vergil and Nero go back to Dante and his children.

Vergil and Nero came back to Dante’s home after some months. The cold autumn soon erased the brief chill summer, and the long winter covered everything in white frost. They dragged into the tall snow many demon corpses hidden on a carriage under some boar skins; that small illusion was enough to fool human eyes.

Apparently, there was an entrance for guests, because Morrison didn’t have a pair of wings, and he guided them through the back entrance. Vergil and Nero poured their present on the ground and emptied the carriage from every demon limb. They left Blue Rose and Beowulf together with Rebellion. She was eating in a warm stable prepared just for her, and she didn’t mind the company, nor that the two horses were devouring her share of food as well.

The path continued after the stable, and Morrison guided them into Dante’s lair.

The little dragons sensed their presence but didn’t rush at Morrison as they usually did. They were peeking from behind a small hill of coins.

“They came out just because I’m here.” Morrison informed them. “Don’t be scared! These are good guys!” He waved his hand.

Nero shook his head. “Maybe they smell the salt we used to conserve them.” The salt growing in the caves of Argosax allowed any kind of decaying food to be preserved for an indefinite amount of time. “They might not like it.”

Little Ebony, despite missing a paw, trotted to the pile of food. Her siblings watched her sniffing a tail popping out from under some arms. She gently sniffed it from the tip and quickly snatched it and brought it back with her. She disappeared behind the gold. A greedy sound of jaws snatching and mincing flesh told them the present was appreciated.

“Where’s Dante?” Nero looked around: he was a full adult dragon, pretty difficult to hide even in such a place.

“I suppose he is having some rest. Since it’s winter, he goes hunting more often and also teaches the children.” Morrison explained.

“Teaches what?”

“How to be a dragon.”

Vergil was satisfied with that reply. “I guess we’ll wait somewhere here then.” He picked a spot that was far enough from the meat, so the children would feel more comfortable getting closer.

Nero sat next to him. “What if they eat too much?” He wondered.

Morrison smiled. “Don’t worry. They aren’t starving. And they listen to me even if I’m just a human. Why don’t you go and wake Dante up? I have some business to attend to, and I don’t think leaving you alone with the children might be a good idea. They tend to get pretty affectionate quite soon, and still don’t know the meaning of physical boundaries. Imagine a dog, but it’s a dragon.” He added when Vergil and Nero frowned in confusion.

“We don’t… have many dogs around where we live.” Nero admitted.

Morrison nodded. “That’s a pity. Incredibly clever and loyal creatures.”

Vergil didn’t care about dogs. “Where is Dante?”

“Follow the path into the gold. Not the ones mixed with the rubies, just the gold nuggets. You cannot miss him.” When they were already quite far, they heard Morrison’s voice adding. “Unless he sank again under the treasure!”

One solution would be following Dante’s scent, if only the entire place didn’t smell like him. It was natural, as that was his home and he smeared his own fearsome scent everywhere as a repellent for whoever dared sneak in. Vergil noticed the magical signs outside that blocked any kind of trace that could be perceived from inside. Once they stepped over the boundaries, Dante’s smell went directly to his head.

“Do you think waking Dante up is a good idea?” Nero asked when they were far enough not to see anymore the point where they started from.

“No, it isn’t.”

Dante’s voice came from near them. Vergil and Nero turned and only saw dark gold and bright orange reflecting on it. From one of the piles, some glimmering stones rolled down, and a long sinuous tail pierced its way out. The precious coins and stones forming that tiny hill started falling faster and faster as a human figure emerged from under it with a loud yawn. They could see the vivid orange of Dante’s powers gleaming from behind the pointy fangs inside his throat. He had a human form, but his eyes were black and reddish, part of his body was covered in scales and two pair of horns sprouted on and behind his head. His four wings were folded behind his back.

“But you woke me up already.” Dante straightened his tail and wings up in the air as he raised his hips and stretched his arms forward on the ground. He arched his back, resembling one of the cats Vergil and Nero sometimes saw in the taverns. Dante yawned again and showed his pointy fangs. “It’s been a while.” His voice sounded drowsy.

“We’ve been busy.” Vergil replied.

“Why are you here?”

“We brought food for your children.” Nero wanted to be the one saying it. “You told us it’s difficult. Plus, it’s winter now, so…” He shrugged. “It’s demon meat, by the way.”

Of all the reactions Dante could have, neither of them expected him to cackle so hard that he rolled over a cascade of gold until he stopped on a spur of rock.

Vergil huffed. “What’s so funny?”

“Hey, don’t sound offended.” Dante climbed his way back faster, even if the coins, gold and stones weren’t a firm ground. “It’s funny because it took two demons to bring me something no dragon has ever brought me as a present.”

“…meat?” Nero was confused.

“For my children.” Dante pierced the ground made of stashes of gold with his right hand and took out a diamond too big to be hidden in a closed hand. “One month after you left. One of the mighty Ice Dragons of the West came here claiming to mate with me and brought this useless object.”

“You could buy the entire… kingdom with that.” Nero was quite sure that he wasn’t exaggerating.

“Oh yes. And what will I tell the country who saw its precious item being stolen? It would take less than two days for a war to start. Plus, all this gold. How can I, a mediocre merchant, explain I can pay for whatever I want?” He tossed a nugget to Nero, who grabbed it with his left hand. “I have enough gold to satisfy my children for the rest of our lives, but if I were to use it mindlessly, we would be chased to the world’s ends. And what do the other dragons do? They keep coming and coming with their emeralds, rubies, diamonds, gold and shit. Then two scoundrels–” _Hey_ , Nero frowned. “–from the Demon Lands come here and bring me the thing I need the most: food for my children.”

Vergil nodded. “I assume they eat quite a lot, and hoarding meat might prove difficult under such conditions.”

“Not as much as you might think, but it’s a constant work. I have friends who can help me buying and stacking meat, so this gold doesn’t prove completely useless. But I can’t own livestock, because someone, sooner or later, would investigate about where all the meat goes. I can’t either buy great quantities all at once. The last thing I want is the dragon slayers coming at me when my children can’t even fly. The fuckers have regrouped faster than I expected.”

“That sounds like there are few dragons to group against the dragon slayers.”

“What? No, there are too many dragons, but most of them are the heritage of the sick bastards who would rather stay alone and mind their business than flock together. Until they feel what they call _the call of nature_ and go looking for some dragon who can bear children, the Dragon Queens. Most of the time, that would be me, because, according to them, I seem to currently be the strongest.”

“To…”

“Mate.” Dante concluded for Nero. “Good thing is when a sick bastard dragon knocks at my door – wait, do you know what this mean? You say that in your country, right?”

“Yes, we do.”

“By the way, when they knock at my door pretending I get rid of my children or something like that, well, more meat for the children. They don’t mind the taste, for now.”

Nero felt like he shouldn’t be so aroused by the idea of Dante being so protective towards his children and casual when talking about cannibalism. He tried spying his father’s face, but Vergil was an unmoved rigid mask. Too rigid, meaning Dante struck his cords as well. What those cords were, Nero couldn’t tell.

“Are you in a hurry of going away?”

“No.”

“Then you might be helpful to school my children for a bit.”

“School?”

Nero suddenly imagined Dante wanted to teach some math or something like that to his kids – like his father did when he was a child who only wanted to wave his sword around. It turned out, a dragon’s duty was teaching the younglings how to hunt, and nothing was more perfect than a smell they weren’t used to. With their mother perched on a high peak to observe their behavior and reactions, the children enjoyed that new game. Nero and Vergil were fast and swift enough to be a good challenge.

However, even if they were dragons, they were children. The first one who leaped on Vergil didn’t think that he could move fast enough to escape, so he looked between his front paws in confusion wondering why his prey wasn’t there; then, he bent his head to peek under his body to see if he smashed him. Another one didn’t even try hunting but rolled on his back and exposed his belly until Nero rubbed it, making him emit delighted throaty gurgles. Soon, some of his siblings lined up to receive the same treatment, and Nero was thankful he could also use his wings for the task.

Soon, all the little dragons forgot about the hunt and entered in a more playful mood. The last one who was chasing Vergil was Ebony; she also tried to flap in the air few times, and, when she failed, she just kept running as fast as she could. However, all of a sudden, she decided it would be funnier rolling on her bigger white sister, who was quietly napping nearby, and biting her tail.

“I guess we are done.”

Vergil looked up. Dante stretched his back and legs and rolled on his right side; his tail dangled down from the edge of the rock he was resting on. Vergil heard a loud yawn and observed Dante’s strong muscles drawing perfect lines on his back as he sat down with his crossed legs. Dante tilted his head twice to release the tension in his neck.

“Oh, yeah. It’s milk time.”

The moment Dante stood up, all the dragons stopped doing what they were doing and turned their heads to look at him. A familiar sound of cracking bones accompanied Dante’s shifting into his completely draconic form. He was so big that he made the cave look smaller. He leaned down on his side and exposed his stomach. The little dragons scurried at him in a hurry and almost smashed against his impressive belly.

“Oh, that milk time.” Nero realized that wasn’t a code name for a meal. Dante was breastfeeding them.

“They are getting used to regular food, but still need some milk.” Dante curled his tail as a protective shield around his children. They were defenseless and only focused on sucking as much milk as possible before collapsing in a deep sleep.

The dragons were emitting pleased guttural sounds. Piled on one another, the sounds of them sucking the milk were loud enough for Vergil and Nero to hear the smacks of their mouths on the nipples. Despite the threatening appearance, there was something sweet in the gentle look Dante was bestowing on his sons. He tightened a bit the tail around them in a gentle hug. The children’s movements became sloppier, and they drank with less confidence.

“Oh-oh. Don’t sleep with your mouth full.” Dante poked one child under the chin with his index finger to make him swallow the mouthful of milk spilling from his lips. He gulped down with a loud groan and rolled asleep on the closest sibling.

Dante slipped his tail curled under them and used it to raise and bring them all to a small cave filled with soft fur and feathers. He chased many different animals to make his nest comfortable for his children, Vergil noticed. Dante waited until each of them was in a deep sleep and returned to a semi-human form.

“I need some rest.”

Dante stretched his arms in the air. His spine elongated, and the scales scattered on his skin gently bended to follow the movements of his muscles. Nero couldn’t stop wondering if between his legs he was hiding something, or if down there he was just as a female because, well, he was a mother.

“What’s wrong with your chest?” Vergil noticed Dante was touching it.

“It feels numb. They are getting rougher.” His children were growing up, but they were far from not needing his milk anymore. “For how long you are planning to stay here?”

“A little while.” Vergil waited few seconds. “My father passed away, and the ministers are deciding for the successor.”

“Oh, so it’s not a bloodline royalty. Choosing the most suitable monarch according to the period should be the best system.”

“Not always.”

“I said should.”

Dante nodded. “Did you spend some time with your father?”

Vergil shrugged.

“We didn’t leave him alone.” Nero confessed. “I’m glad we managed to stay with him during his last days.” He felt his cheek burning when Dante smiled at him.

There was a comfortable pallet similar to the one where Dante brought the children, but in a smaller size. Dante walked barefoot on the soft layer of fur and knelt to lean down and hug the fluffy blanket.

“I’m tired.”

“Taking care of children is tiresome.” Vergil agreed with Dante’s current state of mind.

“But satisfying.”

“Indeed.”

Vergil unbuttoned his coat. Nero imitated him without thinking much, and took his own coat off, like Vergil did, and then went for the shirt. His brain was a bit slow at catching up with what his father was doing and, when he realized, his ears turned red. But only for a little. He leaned down at Dante’s left side, as Vergil did the same on his right side.

“It’s been a while.” Dante commented.

“You do enjoy running your mouth.” Vergil was still wondering if that trait he usually disliked was something nice when it came to Dante.

“I don’t have lots of guests, so I take any chance.”

Dante crawled over Vergil. His skin had slight cracks that gleamed like embers, and that was the last thing Vergil admired before he closed his eyes and welcomed Dante’s kiss. He opened them again only when he didn’t feel the soft pressure anymore and glanced at Nero, who couldn’t restrain his impatience, leaving a trail of kisses from Dante’s lips to his neck. That was a good distraction even for a dragon, and Vergil undid his human form the slight necessary to let his tail appear and crawl around Dante’s body.

“So, you have one too.” Dante let the tail slither on him. The sharp tip swung a bit in front of his face, like a weird snake, and Dante licked it. His tongue was warmer than anything Vergil had ever allowed to touch his body. A shiver run along his spine.

Nero was impatient, and the months spent apart from Dante made him even more restless. Vergil noticed it in his movements and reactions. His own hands and fantasy soon weren’t enough to bring him satisfaction. He was more violent in battle and more pricky at any joke. It was with a satisfied groan that Nero sank his head between Dante’s legs and licked that taste he didn’t forget.

Dante run his fingers through Nero’s hair and grabbed his locks. He let loose of his voice. His moans were louder than when they were forced to make love into a cramped bed surrounded by people probably interested in their coins.

Even if Vergil pretended he had more self-control than his son, he approached Dante from behind, both arms around his waist, and rutted against the crease of his ass. Nero crawled and kissed Dante’s stomach and his chest before smacking his lips on his mouth.

“Maybe I don’t remember well…” Dante chuckled as they spread his legs. “…but you used to foreplay a bit longer.”

The wet tips of their dicks rubbed against his vulva, and Dante swung his hips away to tease them. But they were two, and Dante was too tired –and horny– to play chase. It was the first time he allowed someone to take him into that form between human and dragon, and it had been a long time since the last someone penetrated him there. His fingers, tails and toys were nothing compared to the delicious friction of Vergil and Nero’s dicks inside his body.

Dante sank his fingers into the hard rock. A groan of pleasure scratched his throat, and the light of his flaming core waved without any control through the creases in his skin. That kind of submission, well, Dante thought as Vergil and Nero sank their sharp teeth into his neck like savage beasts, he fully embraced it.

***

Vergil woke up because it was too warm and too cramped. He first saw Dante’s hair near his nose, then, a bit down, Nero’s head pressed against Dante’s chest – Vergil wondered if his son was breathing or if he died of a sweet death into Dante’s arms. He focused and heard his light snore; he was alive.

Warmth, because Dante was a dragon and he was unsurprisingly a natural stove (and the asshole let them freeze in the wild pretending to be human). Cramped, because the children sneaked into that other nest while they were asleep. Vergil was disappointed in himself and how low he let his defense fall for not noticing a group of chonky and clumsy dragons stumbling one on top the other to cuddle for another round of sleep.

One of them was emitting a sound similar to a slight purr. Vergil turned his head, and Ebony raised her own. The big orange eyes lazily looked at him, then, she leaned her snout on Vergil’s arm and emitted a happy groan.

“At least, you don’t think I am food.”

“No.”

Dante’s voice surprised him. Vergil knew he felt the surprised twitch of his body.

“They don’t think you are food. Or they would have chased you. Probably without catching you, because they lack experience.” Dante explained adjusting his head against Vergil’s chest and closed his eyes again. “I’m quite sure they think of you as their dad now. Because you are Nero’s dad and I let you in my bed.”

Vergil opened his mouth in disbelief. “Excuse me, what?”

But Dante was sleeping again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congratulation Vergil, you are a daddy again.

**Author's Note:**

> Have you ever been so horny you burnt a soup? Vergil and Nero have.


End file.
